


perfect

by kurokn



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Established Relationship, Hospitals, M/M, Sick Character, Vomiting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-03
Updated: 2016-01-03
Packaged: 2018-05-11 08:19:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5619955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kurokn/pseuds/kurokn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Akaashi gets sick over the weekend, Bokuto takes it upon himself to keep him company until it blows over - but what if it's more serious than it initially seems?</p>
            </blockquote>





	perfect

**Author's Note:**

> the medical details of the mystery illness (i won't say what bc spoilers) are based upon personal experience and the webmd articles i read when i was in akaashi's position, so take it all with a grain of salt. with that said, i'm a sucker for bokuaka and sickfic so this was kind of inevitable. enjoy!

Akaashi laid in his bed, slowly gaining consciousness. His eyes fluttered open lazily. It was a Sunday, and the light coming through the blinds told him that the day was still young; a glance at his alarm clock confirmed this with a glowing 7:09. 

He rolled onto his side, and that's when he felt it - a twinge of pain in his stomach. Akaashi grimaced and flopped onto his back as he flipped the comforter off of his slightly sweaty body. Of course he would get sick on his one free day. 

He sat up and felt lightheaded for a moment, bracing a hand against the mattress. His first aid kit was under the sink near the door, and his thermometer tasted metallic under his tongue as he waited for a reading. 

No fever. Huh. 

Akaashi didn't feel hungry, but it was morning, so he decided a simple breakfast was probably in order. The meal plan he’d paid for didn’t offer him access to the dining halls on weekends, so he put two pieces of bread in the toaster and waited. He jumped when they popped up and he quickly spread on an obscene amount of butter.

As he ate, he mindlessly watched an episode of some American sitcom. The toast left a bitter taste in his mouth, and he grimaced as he rushed to wash it down with a glass of water. That turned out to be a tactical error when he had to run to the bathroom only moments later, losing his breakfast and then some as he knelt shuddering in front of the toilet.

When the trembling subsided and he was able to stand, he put his dishes in the sink before grabbing fresh clothes and returning to the bathroom. It was still free - hooray - and he turned the shower on as hot as it would go before stepping under the stream of disappointingly lukewarm water. 

Even as the water slowly approached scalding, Akaashi stood shivering in the tiny stall. He frowned as he hugged himself. Was his thermometer broken? His midsection twinged as he rubbed his hands up and down his arms, and he made a mental note to take something when he was done in the shower. 

Not having the energy to actually wash himself, he quickly dried off and wrapped up in his warmest and softest clothes. It was now almost 8 a.m., and he figured that a nap was probably in order. The trash can found a new home beside his bed - just in case - as he set an alarm on his phone and then took some ibuprofen. With that, he rolled over and made a burrito of himself using his blankets as he drifted back to sleep.

 

The next thing he knew, the sun was high in the sky and someone was banging on his door. Akaashi took a moment to thank the heavens above that his reclusive roommate went home every weekend before heaving himself up to his feet. He wobbled and had to grab his dresser to steady himself before slowly making his way toward the door. 

“...shi? Akaashi?? Keiji??”

Bokuto. Shit. 

Akaashi glanced in the mirror, and his fears were confirmed: he looked like absolute shit. He turned on the sink and got his hands wet, wiping his face and neck of the sheen of sweat as he breathed heavily. Feeling off-balance, he clutched the counter for dear life as his stomach lurched. His free hand clapped over his mouth as Bokuto’s aggressive knocking picked back up. 

“Are you okay? I thought we were hanging out today!” The loud boy asked through the door. Akaashi cringed at the question; they were supposed to hang out and he'd completely forgotten. 

Another glance at the mirror made Akaashi deflate a bit. He was going to get mothered today; he could feel it in his bones. 

“Keep it together.” He sternly told his reflection, shaking a finger as he scowled. The door was only a couple steps away, and when he finally pulled it open, Bokuto paused with his fist still raised to knock. 

“Akaashi!!! Are you okay?! I texted you - and called, actually - and you didn't answer!!!”

Akaashi simply sighed and swept his arm in a ‘come on in’ gesture as he stood aside. He closed the door behind Bokuto and then jumped in surprise as cold hands cradled his face.

Bokuto frowned and let his hands drop to his sides. “You feel really warm. Are you sick?”

“I believe so. I'm really sorry, I completely forgot about today.”

Bokuto’s face clearly displayed his concern, and he asked Akaashi if he wanted something to eat as he directed him to the chair.

“Ugh, no. Already tried that once today.”

“What!!” Bokuto wailed, “Did you take anything?”

“Ibuprofen. It's not really working, though.”

“I meant something to make you not barf.” 

Akaashi cringed slightly at the choice of words, and Bokuto noticed immediately. 

“Sorry!!!”

“Please, Bokuto-san, I’m really fine. I just need to sleep it off.” He said as Bokuto rifled through his small collection of first-aid supplies, producing a bottle of Pepto-Bismol. “...I didn't even know I had that.”

The medicine was vaguely chalky, and he swallowed it quickly. Bokuto put the bottle back where it went without even looking as he toed off his shoes, starting some hot water for tea. 

“Go sit,” he told Akaashi with a smile. He pointed to the bed with enough authority that Akaashi didn’t question him; he simply nodded and shuffled over before plopping down on the mattress without ceremony. He pulled the layers upon layers of blankets up around his shoulders with a shiver and let his eyes slide shut, drifting slightly as Bokuto made his tea.

Without warning, a broad hand came down on his shoulder, causing him to jump.

“Sorry, sorry! Here’s your tea.” Bokuto held it out like it was some sort of peace offering, and Akaashi chuckled as he accepted it. 

“Thank you, Bokuto-san.”

He downed the whole mug in record time, sighing with a soft smile. It disappeared from his hand not a moment later as Bokuto rushed off to wash it, along with his dishes from breakfast. “You don’t have to do that.”

“I know.” Another smile was shot his way as Bokuto put the mug on the drying rack. “You should really go back to sleep if you’re this tired, babe.”

Akaashi had his reservations about that, but his body unfortunately chose that moment as high time to let loose the world’s longest and most uncontrollable yawn. 

“Ugh, fine. You win.” He flopped down and threw the blankets over himself, already feeling his consciousness slipping. There was a dip in the mattress and then the warm presence of Bokuto settled next to him; he was too tired to scold him about spreading germs and turned to press his face into his side. He was out in under a minute.

 

He was warm when he woke up again, and Bokuto’s fingers were carding through his hair, providing some amount of distraction from the increasing pain in his stomach. He still groaned and shifted, trying to get more comfortable, and Bokuto’s fingers halted their motions.

“Are you awake?” His boyfriend whispered, fingers trailing away from Akaashi’s head and down his arm.

“Mm.”

“What was that?” Bokuto asked with a playful lilt. He poked lightly at the arm Akaashi had settled over his chest. When that got no further response, he poked at his arm again, his side, his face, and finally his stomach.

Pain shot out from the point of contact, and Akaashi jumped away with a hiss. He clamped his mouth shut to stifle the whimper that tried to work its way out of his throat. Falling onto his back, he breathed heavily through his nose. Damn, that hurt.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry!!!”

With some effort, Akaashi got out a short and high-pitched “it’s okay.”

Bokuto sat in silence for a moment, looking down at Akaashi with a scowl on his face. Something about this didn’t feel right to him. He pulled out his phone to investigate, looking up symptoms online as Akaashi lay still next to him. 

“Akaashi, where does it hurt?”

“Please tell me you’re not asking the internet what’s wrong with me. It’s going to tell you something much more serious and obscure than what it actually is and you know that.”

“Can you let me try one thing?”

“Will it involve poking my stomach again?”

“...yes.”

“Oh my god, no. I’m fine, really.” Even as Akaashi said this, he felt the faintest shadow of a doubt; that had been quite the reaction to such a light poke, but he didn’t want to overreact. 

“Look, the article says that if it hurts really bad you should go to the emergency room.”

“Yeah, and if you tell the symptom checker you have a headache it’ll suggest brain cancer as a possible cause. I’m not going to the hospital over a stomachache.” 

“Does it hurt more on one side than the other?”

That made Akaashi take pause. “Yeah, actually. The right.”

“Holy shit, really?”

“Yes, really, why would I lie about that?”

“I don’t know!!” Bokuto looked really distressed at this point, and Akaashi reached up to cup his cheek with his right hand.

“It’s fine, Koutarou. I’m okay.” 

Bokuto slowed down momentarily at the use of his given name, but quickly snapped out of it. “Look, I need to try something, and if it makes it worse we have to go. It keeps giving me these popups saying to take you to the emergency room.”

Akaashi’s throat clenched the slightest bit; that made him feel pretty anxious. 

“Fine. Do what you must.”

To his credit, Bokuto looked totally unprepared to inflict more pain on him; Akaashi actually had to pump him up. 

“So, what do you need to do? Do you just have to poke me again or something?”

“Uh… Something like that. If I press on the right side and it makes it hurt more, we really need to go. It says you might have appendicitis.”

“Huh.” Akaashi mused, “That actually kinda makes sense.”

Bokuto still looked quite conflicted. “Look, I’m just going to press really lightly, okay? Just let me know when it starts to hurt.”

Akaashi hummed his agreement and folded his arms under his head as a pillow. “Go ahead, then.”

His boyfriend’s fingers hovered over the right side of his abdomen in hesitation, and he took a deep breath before pushing down lightly. What was initially just discomfort quickly turned into pain once any actual pressure was added.

“Okay, okay, you can stop now.”

Bokuto looked up at him sadly, a pout pulling at his lips. “I’m sorry, but we have to go.”

There really wasn’t a point in resisting, so he sighed in defeat before sitting up. The pain increased substantially with his change in position, and he closed his eyes for a moment. 

“Let me get my things.”

“Of course!” Bokuto pecked him on the cheek. “I’m gonna get us a ride. Is Kuroo okay?”

“Yeah, that’s fine.”

“I’ll be right outside calling him, then. Take your time.” With that, he pulled on his shoes and stepped back out into the hallway. He closed his phone’s browser and opened up his contacts, tapping the call button beside “Ku-Bro” followed by many, many heart and bird emojis. His friend picked up fairly quickly.

“Brokuto! What’s up, bestie?”

“Are you busy right now, bro? I need to borrow your skills as a totally legal, licensed driver with access to a car.”

“Uh, sure. What’s up?” The faint music he’d heard in the background cut off as Kuroo picked up on his serious tone.

“Don’t freak out, but I need you to drive me and Akaashi to the hospital.”

“What?! Why?”

Bokuto sighed loudly, dragging a hand down his face. “I think he has appendicitis or something. The internet kept bringing up popups telling us to go.”

“Oh, ouch. Yeah, I can take you. Kenma and I are actually in my car right now, so we can be there in a few minutes, okay?”

“You’re the best, bro.”

“I know, bro.” 

With that, he hung up. Bokuto couldn’t help but chuckle as he let himself back into Akaashi’s room, but it cut off when he heard the heaving coming from the bathroom. 

“Keiji?!”

Akaashi was hugging the toilet bowl when Bokuto passed through the doorframe, shivering. He groaned before leaning forward again to only breathe heavily over the bowl, looking thoroughly exhausted. After a moment, he reached up to flush the toilet. Bokuto offered a hand and pulled him up to a standing position. 

He settled his hands on Akaashi’s shoulders and looked him over with worry. “Do you want more medicine before we go?”

“If it is appendicitis, I'm not supposed to have anything at all. I probably shouldn't.” 

Bokuto frowned and pulled him into a tight hug, causing Akaashi to grunt. “I'm sorry.” He murmured, pressing a kiss into his hair. 

“‘s not your fault.”

“You ready to go?”

“I guess. Let me put on my shoes.”

He did just that and then sat heavily in the chair near the door. Bokuto rubbed gently at his shoulder, causing him to hum in appreciation. After a few minutes, there was a knock at the door. 

“Brokuto, you there?”

He quickly pulled the door open and Kuroo walked in, Kenma close behind. 

“Hey, Akaashi! I hear your tummy hurts.” He was obviously trying to lighten the mood, but Akaashi couldn't help but bristle at the joke. 

“You could say that.”

Kenma looked up at him, slipping his 3DS into his pocket. “Do you need anything else before we go?”

“No, thanks.”

Bokuto offered him a hand, and he took it as he stood. He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes for a moment as he took a deep breath. 

Kuroo raised his eyebrows and gestured to the door, waiting for the okay from Akaashi. When he took a step forward, everyone moved to the door and they all made their way to Kuroo’s tiny car. 

Akaashi took the front seat, closing his eyes and laying back as they made the short drive to the hospital closest to campus. Kuroo dropped him and Bokuto off at the door to the emergency room and left to find a parking spot. 

“Go sit down, okay?”

As Akaashi sunk into the first empty chair he came to, Bokuto turned to explain the situation to the nurse at the desk and get forms to fill out. Kuroo and Kenma joined them as he filled them out completely, with some help from Akaashi’s ID. He took the forms back to the corner and then sat back down with an arm wrapped tightly around Akaashi. 

Luckily, it was a particularly slow day in the emergency room and a nurse came to call Akaashi back within fifteen minutes. He asked some questions while taking his blood pressure and temperature, and then led the small group back to a secluded room. 

The nurse got a hospital gown out of the cabinet and handed it over. “I'll need you to change into this. I'm going to go get you some blankets while you change and the doctor should be here soon. Let me know if you need anything else.”

With that, he left them to their devices. 

“Can I have the room while I change, please?”

Kuroo and Kenma immediately got up and headed toward the door. Bokuto hung back hesitantly. 

“Uh… Do you want any help?”

“No.”

A bit of hurt flashed across Bokuto’s face, but he didn't question him. As he was about to slip out the door, Akaashi called after him. 

“Sorry, Koutarou. I can just handle changing on my own.”

“It's fine! I'll come back in a minute, okay?” 

Akaashi nodded with a tiny smile and Bokuto closed the door behind himself. He changed quickly but hesitated. Turning to the cabinet, he pulled out another gown and put it on backwards before sitting down on the lumpy bed. As he leaned back, there was a light knock at the door. 

“You can come in now.”

His friends came back in with Bokuto at the front, sitting beside him and taking his hand. They say in silence for a few minutes, no one really knowing what to say. 

Akaashi reclined at first but then leaned forward instead, taking calculated breaths as he tried to keep his nausea at bay. Bokuto rubbed calming circles along his back, but he swatted the hand away a moment later and bolted to the trash can near the door. He had nothing left to throw up, but he still heaved heavily over the can and struggled for breath. As Bokuto jumped up to try and help, the door opened and the doctor walked in with a medical student following close behind. She glanced down at her papers before sending Akaashi a sympathetic look.

“Akaashi-kun?”

He nodded, standing upright after a moment or two. “That’s right.”

“Okay! Well, I’ve looked at your paperwork, and I’ve ordered some tests. They might take a little while, but we’ll try to keep you comfortable in the meantime. A nurse will be by in a few minutes to give you an IV, and we’ll go from there. Do you have any questions right now?”

“No, thank you.” He grimaced slightly as he straightened his back.

“I’ll be on my way, then. I’m sure you’re about to sit anyway, but it’s best for you to stay off of your feet if at all possible for the time being.” She crossed the room and came back with a small bag from a dispenser mounted on the wall and handed it to him. “If you feel nauseated again, please use these. I’ll see you later.”

Akaashi got out a weak “thank you” as she swept out of the room with the student in her wake. He turned and staggered back to the bed with Bokuto hovering with his hands on his shoulders, emanating anxiety. 

Over the following hours, Akaashi underwent frequent testing, poking, and prodding as they tried to determine what was wrong with him. He got an IV for pain medication (which helped immensely), an ultrasound, a CT scan, and had to give many, many blood samples. It was exhausting. 

Finally, after hours of mostly sitting around doing nothing, the same doctor from that afternoon returned with the results. Everyone, save Akaashi, sat up when she entered the room. 

“Well, it’s just what we thought. You have appendicitis.”

Bokuto whooped beside him, punching the air with both fists and subsequently pulling Akaashi’s right hand with them. “I knew it!” Kenma promptly smacked his side and mumbled for him to be quiet, and Kuroo snickered at him. 

Akaashi sighed heavily. Perfect. “So, what happens now?” He asked drily, shifting in his bed. 

“We’re getting the paperwork put together, but you’ll need to have an appendectomy. Have you had anything to eat today?”

“Nothing that stayed down.”

“Excellent. We can go ahead and get you taken care of in an hour or so in that case. Someone will be in shortly to get you ready.”

The next half hour was a flurry of hospital employee after hospital employee coming through to get him to sign a variety of forms while explaining everything to him in rather explicit detail. The surgeon actually came by at one point to describe the procedure from start to finish, which Akaashi found to be a bit excessive. 

Kuroo and Kenma were led out of the room first, a nurse showing them to the waiting room. Bokuto stayed with Akaashi as he was moved to pre-op, where he signed a couple more forms. The nurses were making small talk with him, which he really appreciated; he didn’t feel that anxious, but he was sure he would if he wasn’t being mentally occupied.

Eventually, the time came for Bokuto to go join their friends. He leaned over Akaashi and kissed him chastely before running his fingers through his short-cropped hair. 

“I’ll be back as soon as I can, okay?”

“Yeah.”

“Bye.”

With that, one of the older nurses led him to the waiting room. When she got back, another nurse joined her and they began wheeling Akaashi down a hallway. The last thing he remembered was her speaking softly as they entered the operating room.

 

Akaashi awoke as the bed was rolled back to its place in the deserted pre-op room, the nurses talking quietly amongst themselves. He made eye contact with one of them as he rounded the end of the bed, and he smiled broadly before coming to his side to speak softly.

“Man, that was fast! The whole procedure only took thirty minutes. Go ahead and rest a little. You probably feel really weird, right?”

Akaashi could only nod dumbly. He wasn’t sure whether or not he could even feel his own tongue, and everything was kind of blurry.

“We’re going to take you up to your room in a little while, but you’re gonna have to hang out with us for a bit first. We’re quiet company, though. Later!” He walked away, and Akaashi closed his eyes. Even though he remained awake the entire duration of his waiting period, he was in no way ready to converse with anyone. 

Then, without warning, his bed was suddenly moving. A different nurse told him what his room number was and he promptly forgot; he’d have to remember to read it when they got there. 

They took an elevator and went down a hallway before he was steered into a new room. The nurse helped him wobble over to his new bed and then hooked him up to the machines around its head. Once he was settled, she turned to him with a smile. 

“Are you ready for your friends to come in?”

He nodded drowsily, and she chuckled.

“Okay, then.” With that, she turned and opened the door. “I’ll go grab them.”

Bokuto was the first in, of course, and he jumped into the chair closest to his face. Kuroo and Kenma trailed in behind him as he took Akaashi’s hand in a vice grip and locked eye contact.

“Are you okay? Wait, that’s a stupid question, you just had surgery! How do you feel? Do you have everything you need? Are you thirsty? Can you have water now?”

Akaashi just looked back at him dumbly for a long moment and blinked before saying, “I heard, like, none of that. Wow, I’m really high right now.” He chuckled. “I love you.”

Bokuto chuckled at him, blushing lightly as Kuroo made gagging noises. “Love you, too. Do I get points for being right about coming here?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re taking advantage, bro. He’s stoned.” Kuroo laughed. Kenma smacked him this time, and he yelped. “Hey!”

“I totally am.” Akaashi said, barely stifling his own laughter.

“We should probably let him rest,” Kenma mused, tugging lightly on the hem of Kuroo’s jacket. “Let’s go.”

“Okay. You need anything before we get out of your hair?”

Akaashi shook his head, as did Bokuto.

“We’re going, then! See you tomorrow!”

“Bye!” Bokuto called as they left the room. Once the door closed behind them, the two sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes as Bokuto rubbed his thumb over Akaashi’s hand. Eventually, he started to shift toward the far side of the bed, and Bokuto looked up at him with a confused look. 

Akaashi simply patted the empty space he’d created and said, “What are you waiting for? I want to cuddle.”

“Wow, you’re really candid like this.”

“You mean when I’m hopped up on pain meds?” Akaashi chuckled.

“Yeah!” Bokuto smiled as he kicked off his shoes, climbing into bed beside him. He folded around Akaashi as best as he could. “This good?”

Akaashi nodded, eyes closed and smiling contently as he began to drift back to sleep. “Yeah, perfect.”


End file.
